STEPPING STONES LIGHTHOUSE

An old Native American legend tells of how the Siwanoy Indians
duked it out with Habboamoko, the devil, for possession of Connecticut. While
Habboamoko had many tricks, the Siwanoy, through their own potions and wizardry
were able to back the old devil up against Long Island Sound. Things looked
rather bleak for Habboamoko, when he happened to look over his shoulder at low
tide toward Long Island and noticed a trail of stepping stones. He danced across
the rocks and fled to Long Island. So angry at the Siwanoy was he, that he flung
every boulder he could find back across the sound. His aim was not true, but his
power was strong and the boulders were flung as far as Maine, littering New
England with rock formations.

Perhaps due to the legend, or the deadly nor'easters which sneak up on the
sound, Colonial maps of the area named Long Island Sound, “Devil’s Belt,” and
the reefs skipping across it, “Devil’s Stepping Stones.”

During the 1860s, shipping commerce through Long Island Sound greatly
increased, and with it, the need for a lighthouse to define a clear channel.
Congress appropriated $6,000 in 1866 for a lightstation to replace a buoy on
Hart Island, about 1 mile north of Stepping Stones. Difficulties arose in
obtaining land on Hart Island, and in 1874, the Lighthouse Board opted instead
to build the lightstation at Stepping Stones, which lies about 1600 yards
offshore.

Construction of the Second Empire style lighthouse, a
sister to the Hudson-Athens lighthouse on the Hudson River, began in 1875. Under
the direction of A. D. Cook, the Stepping Stones Lighthouse was constructed by
Irish bargemen and stonemasons from Throgs Neck. The redbrick keeper's dwelling
is topped by a mansard roof and attached to a square tower. Every outside corner
of the structure is decorated with quoins. 900 tons of boulders were barged to
the site to form the foundation on the reef, which lies just below the water's
surface. The riprap foundation, encased in rough-hewn blocks, has a base
diameter of 48 feet, and the lighthouse rises to a height of 49 feet above sea
level.

On March 1, 1877, Findlay Fraser lit the fifth-order Fresnel lens for the
first time. The original characteristic of the light was fixed red, an
appropriate choice for the Devil's Stepping Stones. In 1932, the light was
changed to a fourth order-Fresnel lens with a fixed green light. A modern optic,
which produces a flashing green light, was placed in the lantern room when the
lighthouse was automated in 1964.

A ship approaching New York City’s East River can take a clear channel by
keeping south of the Great Captain Island and Execution Rocks lighthouses and
then staying north of Stepping Stones Lighthouse.

A couple of notable keepers served at the Stepping Stones Lighthouse over the
years. Ernest Bloom, who started his service at the station on April 20, 1910,
was awarded the Lighthouse Service's efficiency pennant for the meticulous
manner in which he maintained the lighthouse. The pennant was flown next to the
Stars and Stripes at the lighthouse to honor Bloom. Keeper Stephen Holm served
at Stepping Stones in the early 1920s and during his time rescued several
unfortunate mariners. One example of his lifesaving skills occurred on July 18,
1923 when two men ran the sailboat Mistral onto the rocks just east of
the lighthouse. Holm hurried to rescue the two men, and later towed their
damaged boat to Long Island.

Devil’s Belt has a tricky way of stirring up unexpected storms. On the
morning of February 9, 1934, the mercury at Stepping Stones Lighthouse hit 14
degrees below zero. With the sound frozen, Keeper Charles A. Rogers, could not
row ashore for supplies. The weather only got worse. On February 20, the wind
blew in a blizzard, which dumped 17 inches of snow overnight, the worst storm
since 1888. Trapped and with only two days worth of food for his small family,
Rogers hung the flag upside down , on March 1 hoping someone would notice the
distress signal. Captain Sioss of the tug Muxpet spotted the signal and
gradually broke the Muxpet through the ice to the lighthouse. The captain
offered Rogers food, but Rogers refused stating that it was the Lighthouse
Service’s responsibility, and asked that the depot at St. George, Staten Island
be notified of the situation. Shortly after being apprised of the situation, the
depot dispatched the lighthouse tender Hickory to the station with
supplies.

Today, wicked storms still race across the sound and mariners continue to be
safely guided through a clear channel, past the hidden reef, by the faithful
beam of the lighthouse.

In 2006, the lighthouse, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, was offered at no
cost to eligible entities, including federal, state, and local agencies,
non-profit corporations, and educational organizations. The Town of North
Hempstead submitted a letter of interest along with five non-profit
organizations: Asian Americans for Equality in Manhattan; Beacon Preservation
Inc. of Ansonia, Conn.; Crabber Cup of Greenwich, Conn.; Historic Preservation
Society of America of Washington, D.C.; and Korstad Marine Preservation Society
of Brooking, Conn. Eventually all suitors save North Hempstead withdrew their
applications, deciding it was too big an undertaking. The the National Park
Service has yet to announce if the town will gain ownership of the lighthouse.